Project Sunshine
by Dezaria
Summary: Nearly a year after the attack on Konoha, a certain missing-nin slips into the recovering village to finally accomplish his goal. Little does he expect what awaits him. SasuSaku
1. Wake Up Call

**A/N**: I'm honestly not a fan of Sasuke, but I'm even less a fan of character-bashing. So, when I had the sudden inspiration for this I couldn't tell my muse 'no.' Though trust me, I sure as fuck tried. After realizing my inspiration for this wasn't going to leave anytime soon, I decided to give it all I had. I tried to keep it close to the current manga storyline (with a few liberties here and there, of course), which is a bitch because any reader knows how shit is going down right now. So,** MAJOR WARNING** there are spoilers for anyone not up to date with the manga. Also, if you couldn't already tell, I enjoy using curse words. The rating is high because of that and sexual situations presented in the following fic as well.

Please let me know how you feel about this; feedback is essential. :)

**Disclaimer**: I know nothing! And I own even less!!!

Wake Up Call

The eardrum-braking bang of something slamming onto the only table in the drab interrogation room startled the dark-haired, missing-nin out of his murderous thoughts. There was no outward indication of shock, mind you, unless one closely watched how the corners of the man's deadly eyes imperceptibly narrowed. Considering the missing-nin was not only chained heavily to a nearly unbreakable metal chair, but also drained of the vast majority of his chakra, his "visitor" felt no fear while blatantly noticing just that. It didn't hurt that said "visitor" knew exactly where to look for subtle tells in body language.

"Sorry, did I disturb your brooding?" It wasn't the way the words were coated in sarcasm and bitterness that caught the ex-Leaf shinobi's attention, but the memories dragged to the forefront of his mind of girlish laughter and unbearable pinkness. The man wasn't surprised to see the only female in his genin team standing before him in his holding cell of sorts. However, he did feel a not-so-small amount of trepidation at the many differences he found as he bluntly returned her attention.

Haruno Sakura's childish petite form had slowly bloomed into the lithely muscled, yet curvaceous frame that had practically every male doing double-takes. With the tight, durable nylon of her ANBU uniform accentuating his ex-team mate's every curve, it became difficult to ignore her physical growth. Everything from the standard issue kunai holster secured on her dominant leg, to the pristine ANBU vest which hid just how proportional her physical change truly was, were ignored in favor of devouring the unusual and/or small details. Ink black eyes quickly took in the black, heeled boots that reached her knees. Then his attention moved to the painted, feline ANBU mask tied to the girl-turned-woman's utility belt. He found himself momentarily distracted by the thought of her delivering death with the fluid grace of a wild cat. The next thing he found himself focusing on was the kyoketsu shoge on her belt. The man chained to the chair thought it interesting that instead of carrying the standard issue ANBU katana, she armed herself with such a traditional, long-ranged weapon. He hadn't seen the kunoichi on the other side of the lack-luster room truly fight since before he left Konoha, so he couldn't imagine how she'd become a formidable close-ranged combatant. He had heard rumors about this and that as a traveling missing-nin, yet it was only after he'd witnessed the amount of pure chakra she was able to summon to her fist at Orochimaru's hideout that he started to believe some of the rumors relating to his old team mate. He still couldn't imagine her as a threat.

With the shift of her weight switching from one foot to the other, the missing-nin's attention finally set upon his ex-team mate's face. Her obnoxiously pink hair was the same length he remembered when he last saw her; before he ended that snake of a man who desired his body. Her nose was too small to be considered sexy, and her lips were slightly too thin to be considered beautiful. Her forehead was still slightly larger than average, but her eyes, still as large as he remembered, regarded him with such calm certainty that he was suddenly reminded of how much time had passed since he had left the village. Tilting his head slightly to the side, the missing-nin held the woman's gaze. He couldn't quite place what shade of green her eyes were, but he figured the name would have an exotic ring to it.

"Would you like a picture for later?" Sakura asked as she walked around the built-in concrete table, the only other piece of furnishing in the room besides the metal chair and pathetic lights, until she was directly in front of the first boy she ever loved. "I doubt you'd be able to accomplish much with all those chains though."

Her laugh was too melodic for what she had just insinuated.

"Why are you here?" His voice had gone hoarse without use. And water.

"Hm... I tend to wonder that one sometimes too, honestly."

The ex-Leaf shinobi eyed the pink-haired woman. _Was she insane?_

"Oh, right. You wouldn't know." A sigh. "I'm a rather important medic now. Well, among other things, but that's irrelevant." Placing her hands on the cold table behind her, Sakura lifted herself up onto the table's edge. Once seated, she crossed her legs and continued, "most people are curious as to why a medic-nin, someone trained to heal and such, would be acting solely in an interrogation unit."

The man before her continued to watch her appraisingly. Forcing down the urge to smirk, Sakura inwardly chuckled. She had figured the Uchiha wouldn't enjoy being chatted up, let alone led somewhere via words.

"_This _is where you ask, in all your avenger glory, 'why are you here?'" Oh, the face the man in front of her made was priceless as she not only mocked his self-proclaimed title, but also lowered her voice to imitate his earlier question. Not many would have noticed, but the unspoken outrage was in the slightly flared nostrils, lightly twitching jaw muscles, and the blood ever so slowly rising to his pale face.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you." She pretended to pick at something in her nail, but she was sharply focused on the missing-nin chained directly in front of her. "There are many reasons medic-nins were considered for interrogators, many of which I think are quite obvious. For one, as a medic, you are privy to all wounds the body can sustain before becoming lethal. Medics, depending on skill level, also understand exactly how the bodies' systems work and therefore, can enter any body's system and reverse said system to destroy a being's homeostasis. That's never very pleasant."

Sakura watched over her fingertips as the person she knew as a child adopted a near bored expression.

"Then there's the oh-so apparent reason that since a medic-nin usually patches up the ones interrogated, they might as well interrogate the prisoners as well. You know, that whole two birds with one stone business."

She looked up to catch his gaze when she felt his eyes on her. It caught her slightly off guard how she could still get lost in the dark voids that consisted of his orbs.

_What can they tell me?_

"So, to answer your question, you have pertinent information my village needs. I'm the best of the best, so it's only natural for me to be here."

The disbelief plainly written on the man's stoic face she was ordered to interrogate prodded at an old wound. Deciding to indulge herself, Sakura easily slid off of the table and approached her old team mate.

"I guess you're tired of listening. That's okay." She leisurely circled the dark-haired man chained to the metal chair until she was behind him. She waited for the moment to stretch while she stood in the only spot in the room where he couldn't see her unless he painfully craned his neck. Then, without any physical contact, the kunoichi leaned close and allowed her smirk to color her whispered, "I like this part much better."

His shoulders stiffened and she felt her inner self greedily welcome her victory over this man who had hurt her and the ones she cared for so badly.

Remaining behind the Uchiha, she extended her arm over his shoulder to let him watch her form the blazing, blue chakra scalpel on her index finger.

"Now, tell me what you know about the orange masked Akatsuki member."


	2. Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You

Several hours later had Sakura nowhere closer to knowing what she wanted. Of course she was frustrated, but she merely laughed and told the man she was torturing to stop being so damn _annoying._

There was a wheeze that was most likely a caustic laugh. She had punctured his lungs and was in the process of repairing them. Once she fixed his lungs she roughly patted him on his thigh, precisely where she had used her chakra scalpel hours earlier as he watched.

"How long have you wanted to say that to me?"

Another incision with her chakra scalpel; this time in between his fingers.

"Too long."

A hissed breath through a tightly clenched jaw was his only response. As much as the man being tortured would like to deny the woman's skill, by now he had enough experience to understand otherwise. Plenty of times the missing-nin had been tortured, be it mentally or physically, but as he thought back on the numerous dark escapades that paved his life, he'd never quite experienced anything like this.

Another incision, while seemingly caressing the man's shoulder, created an audible pop due to the release of much tension in his (now severed) supraspinatus tendon.

A guttural growl indicated the limits purposefully being pushed. Fatigue from malnourishment and abuse made it difficult for the dark-haired man to lift his head to look up. His pink-haired torturess was on the other side of the table observing him with a slight tilt of her head. He couldn't begin to fathom the thoughts that this new Sakura entertained.

"Sasuke..." His name (and only his name), spoken from those almost-beautiful lips, made his chest ache with some pretentious, invading emotion.

He grunted his acknowledgment once he tired of waiting for the woman to finish what she had begun to say.

"You're welcome." Incredulous Uchiha features watched as the smiling kunoichi from his past walked out of the room.

Being left alone with his thoughts overwhelmed him. Questions assaulted him from every corner of his fatigue-addled mind. First and foremost, since when did his most annoying ex-team mate make Orochimaru's mind-fuck ability near laughable? Sasuke balled his hands into fists before cursing at the immense pain the action rekindled. She hadn't even healed him completely. _Great. _He'd eventually lose the rest of his sanity staring at his unblemished skin while pain wracked his body. Either that or lose the rest of his sanity regarding the dull walls and flickering, florescent lights on the ceiling like the many hours previous. _Oh, the choices. _

Deciding to close his weary eyes, he focused on controlling his breathing.

He had been so close to accomplishing his goal. Those bastards would pay for destroying his world - his brother. Madara could think he was going to help him crush Konoha, that didn't matter. Sasuke had waited many months for that damned Uchiha to stop watching his group's steps so closely. He didn't wish to wait for the old Uchiha to get everything in order to obliterate the country he had once wanted to rule. Politics, what a waste of time. He truly had no taste for such ridiculousness, although he also was never one to run blindly into a situation. Alright, perhaps once. Or twice.

His sigh echoed quietly in the small room.

He had never expected his home village to be in such disarray. The knowledge had been there (Akatsuki's pseudo-leader's attack on Leaf was known throughout the hidden villages), but the missing-nin had never witnessed the damage himself. Although surrounding walls and buildings were already rebuilt to some extent, there was hardly any natural vegetation in the village. There were tiny traces of chakra in all the trees and such that reminded Sasuke of that man who had once led his old team mates' on an attempt to bring him back. On top of that, the raw energy of the villages' many shinobi were all on edge. It seemed to Sasuke, that the fools were made of tougher stuff than he'd originally assumed. Hell, even the idiot, Naruto, had been able to beat him into unconsciousness. That was just downright wounding to ones ego.

He had wanted to sneak in through the village and rip apart the three people left who knew the truth about his family's massacre. Then he'd... well, he hadn't thought that far. Sasuke prided himself as a goal oriented being. Whatever he had to go through to achieve his goal at the time and any repercussions were irrelevant, as far as he was concerned. It was achieving the goal itself that mattered.

Suigetsu staying behind to "keep Kisame from tattling to that masked weirdo," and most likely dying in his attempt to best one of the Seven Swordsmen, was irrelevant.

Karin throwing herself in harms way to try and gain whatever attention she wanted from the sharingan user was very much irrelevant. And irritating.

Juugo losing control in the middle of the_ stealth_ mission and causing the mission's downfall was _extremely_ relevant. If Sasuke thought Juugo was still breathing, he'd end the man's life after he finished skinning the three he was originally after. He'd do whatever it took to horribly, brutally end the lives of the three who forced his brother into such an unworthy role. Once again his mind was filled with murderous thoughts.

An unknown amount of time passed before the shinobi drifted into a fitful sleep.


	3. PS & Introspection

**A/N**: Thank you so much those that have reviewed. I love hearing from y'all. :)  
I'm going to be extremely busy for the next couple of weeks, so I figure I'll go ahead and update now.

**Disclaimer**: Yup, still applies.

Feel free to leave a review. ;P

Project Sunshine and Introspection

Sakura had a hate/love relationship with her current job. She hated that she enjoyed it much more than on a mere primal level. Of course, she'd never have learned what being an interrogator was like if it weren't for the one and only kyuubi container. Damn Naruto and his stupid ideas, and his genuine, blue eyes. They were just so big, and full of determined hope.

It shouldn't have been a shock when Naruto's idiotic idea ended up working. Naruto was just like that - a force of nature, really.

Stupid big, blue eyes.

Nearly a year after Pein-but-actually-Nagato's attack on the Fire country, both Sakura and Naruto were well past jounin. With Shizune's name added to the memorial stone and Tsunade quickly nearing the end of her days as well, Sakura became the highest ranked medic-nin in Konoha. Naruto, who still managed to gain strength in leaps and bounds, was finishing up preparation for becoming Hokage. The man had stubbornly retained his straightforward attitude (mostly due to the amazing density of the blonde's skull), but had matured while under Tsunade's tutelage.

She still could recall the night of Naruto and her jounin celebration. All of their friends not out on missions had spent the night celebrating with them. After drinking enough to give an elephant liver failure, she and her two boys stumbled their way to Sai's apartment. His was the closest and he never did mind them staying over as long as they didn't leave a mess. It was that night, in Sai's apartment while they were all trashed, that Naruto talked Sakura into becoming an interrogator.

Tsunade had banned them from looking for Sasuke, but that didn't stop them for preparing for when Konoha finally got their hands on him. Naruto drunkenly explained how he'd had an epiphany after contemplating the many things he had heard over the years of chasing their lost friend. Sakura had been too curious and drunk to not get sucked into the naïve hopes Naruto still held when it came to the dark-haired member of team seven. Even Sai was uncharacteristically serious when the blonde mentioned his idea involving Sasuke. The ink-user's feelings toward the missing-nin was something he usually made apparent.

Sakura remembered being rendered speechless with everything her friend had bottled up. He'd never mentioned that Itachi had pushed for an answer about how Naruto would handle the worst-case scenario with his little brother, let alone about his conversation with his father. She wanted to be hurt by the fact that he kept such things to himself, but as he emotionally recalled the entire conversation he and his father had she felt any anger dissipate. When his voice cracked as he apologized profusely to his friends for not telling them earlier, Sakura gathered the tall, upset man in her arms. The quiet ink-user watched as the pink-haired woman's tears quickly came after their blonde friend gave up on holding his own tears at bay. Sai interrupted their drunken bawling to solemnly admit that he remembered Danzo saying some odd things before he tried to forcefully become Hokage. The vile man had nearly succeeded in his grandiose goal. Luckily, with Shikamaru's quick thinking, and the timely arrival of battle-ready Sand shinobi, Danzo and his followers were quickly fleshed out.

The three shnockered friends began to piece together the smaller parts of a much larger puzzle. They also discussed how to keep Sasuke alive long enough to maybe get their friend back. In the end, it was surprisingly Naruto who came up with an idea. Not so surprisingly, he called it, "Project Sunshine."

Sai didn't mind the idea of learning all he could about Sasuke's clan history for his friends. He was the only one who'd be able to move under the radar while searching for the information they were after. Besides, both Naruto and Sakura were rarely able to leave the village.

At first Sakura outright refused Naruto's idea for her. The pink-haired woman liked being on the front lines, just like any other shinobi. Her mind was only changed when the boisterous blonde fed her the interrogator-work-isn't-just-sloppy-seconds bullshit. She ate it up like every other person to come into contact with a Naruto good-guy speech. Hell, she had even gone to Ibiki the very next day, hung over and adamant. When he was hesitant ("Like hell I'll allow some pink-haired, mountain-crushing chit to step foot in my department!") she got Shikamaru to suggest to their Hokage about the benefits of an interrogator that could heal as well as harm in exchange for letting him in on Project Sunshine.

Shikamaru had openly expressed how troublesome he felt Sasuke to be. He was quite shocked when Sakura, who was an obvious fan of the boy during her earlier years, agreed wholeheartedly. When she explained that even though her runaway team mate was many bad things, he still remained a part of team seven's responsibility. With new insight, Sakura could see that strings were constantly being pulled and Sasuke truly was foolish for playing the puppet so well. Shikamaru, part of Konoha's intelligence force, quickly decided that it would be for the best if he helped Sakura, Naruto, and Sai with their plan. They were all very stubborn people in their own right, and the easy going man would rather choose the path of least resistance. The three would just have to share the information they uncovered with Shikamaru, and he'd claim the information came from an anonymous source if he felt the need to report anything. The unruly-haired man still felt the whole thing was much too troublesome.

Once Tsunade was convinced Sakura was properly suited to practice under Ibiki (due to Shikamaru's thought out pushes here and there), Naruto's idea was well on its way to fruition. The work had been hard; she constantly had to slave her ass off to prove herself to Ibiki. Naturally, she'd botched a few cases, but who doesn't want to punch in a child-murderer's face? This one she couldn't mess up on though. Too much was riding on her success with her first crush. If she didn't get the information Sasuke undoubtedly had on that masked, rat bastard, then Konoha might as well kiss their beloved country goodbye. There was also the comforting plus of knowing the exact going-ons of her "patient." She was not still soft-hearted for the Uchiha, just territorial in regards to her job.

Shit.

"More sake, please!" Sakura called to the bartender.

She had known why Tsunade had been extremely reluctant to allow her apprentice the task. Luckily, with all her previous experience in the field and Ibiki vouching for her, the Hokage gave in. However, that didn't stop the woman from taking her daughter-like apprentice to the side to warn her of the dire consequences if she should fail. Not that she didn't grasp such things already, but Sakura appreciated the way her shishou grounded her. Sometimes you just need to hear simple truths to remind yourself that in the bigger picture, you're but a dot of ink. Finishing up the last of her second sake bottle, the kunoichi set enough money on the bar and took her leave. She enjoyed being able to drink without interruption, so she tended to frequent the civilian pubs after the harder days at work.

The crisp, night air cooled her through the jounin uniform she had changed into before leaving Konoha's main interrogation unit. At times like these she missed how Kakashi would say something once no one was watching to comfort her. Couldn't have anyone thinking he had a soft spot for his students, now could he? Breathing deep, Sakura bypassed the painful thoughts of her late sensei. He died honorably and due to him they were able to eventually defeat Pein. Or Nagato, depending how one looked at it.

A strangled laugh escaped the kunoichi and she watched the cloud her warm breath made fade away. It never ceased to amaze her how bad things had to get before she got off her ass and grew. Her team mates nearly dying, Sasuke leaving, Kakashi dying along with her village being destroyed, Naruto nearly being captured... she didn't want to think about what could happen in the future. Whatever her future held, if she didn't like it she (sure as Naruto's love for all things ramen) was prepared to fight for what she wanted.

Her thoughts continued to drift as she made her way up the stairway to the third floor of her humble apartment complex. Unlocking her door and neutralizing the traps, she let herself into her comfortable abode. Sakura shrugged out of her jounin vest and hung it over her worn couch on the way to her bedroom. Unlike her old rival and friend Ino, she very much enjoyed the simplicities of life. She didn't understand how one person could fill a closet with shoes alone. Puh-lease.

An evil smirk quirked the pink-haired woman's lips as her thoughts continued to drift. Ino had continuously tried to play match maker when she felt Sakura needed to get over a certain missing-nin. Sakura, being a good friend, allowed herself to be taken on a date by whoever Ino threw her way (usually Shikamaru). The first date had been extremely awkward until Sakura challenged the laziest man she knew to a game of shogi. If they hadn't already been friends before, their foundation would've been strong from then on.

The payback was very much worth a floundered date, or six, to Sakura. Utilizing her newly improved friendship with one Nara Shikamaru, the sharp woman organized a date for the blonde-haired bombshell. Ino didn't have a chance when Sakura not only had her woman's intuition on her side, but a person on the inside giving her the details any rival would drool over.

Needless to say, Chouji would've been very appreciative to his other male team mate and a specific medic-nin had he known who finagled his cards of fate to his favor.

She'd never get anything done with a roving mind, so Sakura settled for a warm shower and then bed. When the woman stepped into the warm spray of the shower, she considered her plans for the next day.

She needed to check out what was up with those two nin who were involved with Sasuke. Then there was the matter of those in the know about Project Sunshine. Sai should be returning from his mission sometime soon, and would want to know everything that's going on. Tsunade had sent Shikamaru to Suna, for some reason or another, but the second Sasuke was locked up a runner was ordered for the intelligence-nin. Shikamaru would probably receive the message in about two and a half days. If nothing hindered his messenger's, nor his own travel, then he would most likely return in around five days time. It seemed her apartment would need a cleaning, since all meetings for Naruto's plan happened at her place nowadays.

She definitely needed to check in on Naruto. He was out of the hospital, but only due to his uninvited guest's healing abilities. He'd most likely be found with Hinata, chomping at the bit to find out the latest news on Sasuke. Once she convinced her team mate that it was now her turn and she knew what she was doing, she'd then head over to her workplace and do what she knew. The fact that what she knew happened to be torture was irrelevant. Specifically the part about how the one being tortured was someone Naruto and she held dear. Years ago, that is.

Ugh, moving right along... Sasuke sure had reeked. Ibiki would never allow a mere nurse to overlook something, like bathing, with such a high security case as the only link to current information on the Akatsuki. Maybe she could hose him down? Or perhaps Gai would have some sort of 'Youth' scented soap she could pour on him?

Ah, there's nothing like progressive cognitive thought to help relax the body after a hard days work torturing your first crush. Especially when said first crush somehow managed to be lust-able while being tortured.

"Arg!" The water's temperature was quickly changed to frigid-as-fuck to eliminate such ridiculous thoughts on such ridiculous men.

She finished showering quickly and went through her nightly routine on autopilot before thankfully slipping in between her clean sheets. Her mind and body ached from the stress of appearing constantly unmoved. Sakura was far from reaching her limits, but she had a complete understanding of who she was and knew that a solid week of restricting her emotions would lead to a breakdown of sorts. She was an emotional being and cultivated her inner strength by allowing her intense emotional prowess freedom. In the next weeks she was going to have to be extremely self-observant or run the risk of not being in control over when and where her inevitable break down happened.

Which meant the kunoichi had to stop the childish denial of the dark-haired man's physical attractiveness. A deep sigh escaped Sakura. She was just so damn good at childishly denying such things too.

Laying safely under her covers, the woman went over how Sasuke's masculine acknowledgment of her physical change pleased her on an instinctual level. This, however, did not mean she knew the individual she had tortured earlier. The chained man had not forgotten their history from their earlier years, but even as a child he was _not _the person she thought (hell, _wished_) Sasuke to be. She wasn't even true to herself as a child, so she really couldn't imagine how different Sasuke truly was from the fantasies she had painted onto the boy.

Smiling tiredly, she recalled how her ex-team mate's look of disbelief dissipated once she began her physical tactical agenda. Really, she couldn't blame him. Just as her fantasies colored her outlook on him, surely the perfect, feminine person she tried so hard to be as a child did the same to Sasuke's outlook on her.

Without noticing, the pink-haired woman finally fell asleep feeling weightless from the realizations brought on by honest introspection.


	4. Sad, but True

Sad, but True

"Sasuke..." She rasped huskily.

One of his calloused hands was holding her wrists firmly down to the cold, cement table while he ground himself against her center. His other hand was busy wreaking havoc on her senses by teasing her breasts through her wrapping. Their clothes were still mostly on, but she delighted in the friction brought on by his erection pressing against her rhythmically.

Her dilated eyes drank in the way his untamed, midnight hair streaked across the pale, scarred skin of his broad shoulders as he bent over her. Powerful legs were easily wrapped around lean hips to further the mutual progress needed to reach the physically communicated desire within them. Sakura's head fell back against the table when the pleasure began to light fire throughout her body.

"Look at me." His request fanned the fire taking over her already overwhelmed nerves. Her back arched when their gazes and bodies met simultaneously. The need, want, _demand _for something beyond physical release created an electric connection between the two ex-team mates.

"Don't close your eyes." His low, sinewy voice gave room for no argument. Not that Sakura would have, but - her thoughts ended when his grip on her wrists tightened and he thrust particularly hard against her.

His face was completely different from when he was a young boy. The once round cheeks were now harsh and angular with the loss of baby fat. The change created an ambiguous mix of features; a man's jaw line, equipped with a strong chin, yet elegantly high cheek bones. His boyish nose and smirk were replaced with a straight, masculine nose and thin, aristocratic lips - which were parted while he breathed erratically. Feeling the man above her watch her just as attentively, Sakura noted how sexy his furrowed brow and intent-darkened eyes were. Her mouth went dry and her legs reflexively pulled the dangerous man's hips even harder against her own. Then she realized he was speaking.

"Say it."

Thrust.

"I want to hear it again, Sakura."

Another thrust.

"Say it, dammit!"

A particularly harsh thrust.

"I..._ mmm..._ I don't know-"

"You know what I want to hear," he growled darkly. "Say it!"

"I... _oh! _I can't..."

Suddenly the man above her stilled - changed. He was no longer the attractive, ex-team mate who was wanting to share something intimate with her. No, no longer. The man above her was cold and seething such anger, that Sakura immediately felt herself tear away from the heady bliss of sexual pleasure. In merely an instant her position swapped from pleasurable to alarming. Her wrists were still held against the table, and for some reason she couldn't summon chakra. She was stuck under the body of a man-turned-monster and loss of control was never something Haruno Sakura enjoyed.

She began to struggle in his grip.

"You _will _say what I want to hear." Even his voice was dripping with poorly repressed hatred. It made her chest rise and fall quickly for a reason wholly different from the arousal his voice had been causing nary a moment earlier.

"Let me go!"

Her mind felt fogged with panic, yet when the rough pad of Sasuke's palm pressed dangerously on her throat she instantly froze.

"Why should I, you hypocrite?"

She remained silent, at a loss of what was happening. Evidently, silence was not what he wanted; judging by the contempt in his unforgiving eyes and scowl marring his handsome face.

"You selfishly hold onto me to the point I can barely _breathe_," his hand pushed further into her throat, "so tell me why I should let you go?"

"Because…" Her voice was nothing but a choked whisper. Closing her eyes, she waited as the lack of oxygen began to take its toll.

"Say it!"

Fingers dug into her throat and then her head was lifted before slamming back into the table. Agony erupted behind her eyes as she cried out in pain. She began to blindly struggle once again.

"Because I-" Her voice broke off into a sob. _What had happened? Why couldn't she summon chakra? When had Sasuke ever directed his anger solely at her?_

"Fucking say it!"

"Because I love you!"

Unexpectedly, warm lips met hers harshly. They were much too warm and she couldn't seem to breath. Tears made trails down her face when she closed her lids, once again awaiting the darkness passing out brought on. Then the man above her seemed to fall through her; somehow sinking down into her until she was painfully on fire. She could see nothing, even after her eyes flew open in agony. The mix of emotions stirring inside her was too much to handle. Despair, longing, hope, fear, trust, hurt, frustration – the continuous flow of feelings simply besieged her.

Then it all left her.

A gasping, highly confused Sakura woke abruptly to her alarm (which died a sudden, chakra induced death). She struggled with her covers before untangling herself and sitting up to take in her familiar surroundings. Her full bookcases, desk, and calm blue walls soothed her slowly.

It was difficult to maintain her previous confidence in regards to dealing with Sasuke professionally. Obviously, she still had some extremely hard work in front of her. The powerful kunoichi decided to take the route she usually took in similar situations.

She would plow straight on through.

* * *

**A/N:** Yup, dreamilicious. Not a word, but it should be. Maybe on UrbanDictionary, but I digress. Thank you to the readers who review. Makes me smile every time! :)


	5. Sun and Moon

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, that stuff.

Sun and Moon

The Hyuga compound was as haughty as ever when Sakura showed up early in the morning to check in on Naruto. She knew it was only a matter of time before Naruto would begin to influence those in the Hyuga clan. Well, besides Neji… and Hinata. Okay, so perhaps it had already begun.

Her breath left her when Hinata and the man she was looking for stepped outside to meet her while sharing an intimate look. Unable to look elsewhere, Sakura allowed her eyes to mist over at the beauty of their contrasting persons. Bold and shy; sun and moon.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called cheerfully once he noticed her.

"Hey, you!" She called back smiling, blinking a few times to clear her sight. "Hinata-chan, how are you doing?"

"Well, thank you. I'm not sure I'll get used to the morning sickness anytime soon, I'm afraid." The woman's voice was quiet, but there was a confidence evident that hadn't been there as a child.

"I'm sure Naruto has no problem helping you in any way he possibly can." Both females grinned when Naruto began enthusiastically listing everything he'd done to make his lover feel better.

"It's good to see both of you in such high spirits." Hinata said with such sincerity that Naruto couldn't resist pulling his two favorite gals into a hug as an agreement.

Afterward, the three friends began discussing the true reason of their meeting.

"Did he really attack us?" Sakura had been working the graveyard shift at the hospital when the event took place. She'd felt her heart stop when Naruto was brought in. That is, until he winked at her. Quickly thereafter, she'd been summoned by her shishou and briefed of the situation at hand. _Much _paperwork and planning had ensued.

"Not exactly. I think that he was after someone, or something, specific." The blonde shared a look with his lover. "It was someone else, definitely another nin, that started the attack. Probably one in the group that helped Sasuke attack Killer Bee." Ironically, a few months after everything settled down somewhat in Konoha, a tall, dark skinned man stumbled into the recovering village. Many were skeptical, but Naruto had felt the nine-tails react to the man and speedily protected the man from those quick to judge. Once the man ate enough food to make Naruto proud, he'd explained how he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee because he was the eight-tailed beast.

Personally, Sakura found the man more corny than endearing, but Naruto's spirits had soared after sparing with Killer Bee while the man stayed in town. She couldn't remember her blonde-haired team mate smiling so much since before Jiraiya's death. The eccentric jinchuriki had eventually left to Kumo and his good words toward Konoha made his older brother, the Raikage, offer Konoha a strong hand against the Akatsuki.

"I met with Mai before I came here, she supervised both of the autopsies for the two who accompanied Sasuke. She confirmed that they were definitely experimented on while alive."

"Orochimaru."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Sakura," Hinata's soft voice drew her attention away from her team mate, "from what Naruto-kun has told me, I think that it was meant to be a secretive operation. Whatever Sasuke-san was - is - after, it seems to be personal."

"That's what shishou had figured." Sakura sighed. "Damn."

"Yeah," Naruto blew away some bright strands of hair tickling his face. "Well, we know he didn't know the truth about his brother before he left Konoha. You can believe that."

"It all still makes me so angry. I knew about my clan's secrets, but I guess I was too busy with my own clan, or too shortsighted, to imagine that another clan would have such dark secrets as well."

"I don't think any of us thought about what really happened back then." Naruto offered his fiance, slipping a comforting arm around the pale-eyed woman.

"It's true. We were so young and things became hectic so fast. Hell, they still are." Sakura chuckled darkly. "We've had an attempted coup _after _our village was decimated. We still haven't finished rebuilding our village and we're in between countries that want to squash us. Not to mention Ame's endless hostility towards us."

"We've definitely got Suna backing us, and the bond between Kumo and us has only been strengthening." Naruto countered.

"I still believe it a wise decision not to inform Kumo about Sasuke's reappearance."

Both Sakura and Naruto silently agreed.

"You guys know Sai should be back tonight, right?" Sakura asked.

"What time should we be over?" The Hokage-to-be inquired before he noticed the cloudy expression on his lover's face.

"It'll be late, but don't worry. You can take my bed when you're tired and the boys and I will share the pull out couch."

"What? Why can't I sleep with my fiance?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"Because it's _my _bed and I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself." The pink-haired kunoichi retorted, crossing her arms.

"I shouldn't _have _to keep my hands to myself! She's my _fiance!" _

"But it's _my _bed!"

"So what? That never -"

"Naruto-kun! I'm sure Sakura has much to do today." Hinata's voice was oddly high and her face would make any tomato envious.

"Well, that is true." Sakura admitted after regarding the pregnant, heiress sceptically. It seemed Naruto might have affected her in more than one way. Now, to add bleaching all of her bed sheets to the list of things to do.

"Alright. Good luck with the bastard, Sakura-chan."

"Thanks. See you two later tonight." With a wave and a simple application of chakra to the soles of her feet, Sakura was on her way to her office.

* * *

**A/N:** Want to mention a couple of things. Firstly, please keep in mind that this was written before Naruto came back to the village in the manga, so it's not going to sync up with canon (but hey - that's fanfiction for ya). Also, this used to be a one-shot, but once it became near 12 thousand words I decided to break it into smaller pieces. Maybe I had just been reading too many drabble collections at the time?

Anyways, hope you guys still enjoy reading.


	6. STANK

**Disclaimer: **No profit made -blah, blah -, besides my silly satisfaction of sharing my odd sense of humor.

S.T.A.N.K.

Ibiki found the kunoichi he was looking for walking in a hallway of one of the lower floors.

"What are you doing?" He snapped. The work day had been rough and he didn't have the patience for niceties.

"Who, me?" Her voice was far too innocent and her smile too forced when she turned around to face him.

"Dammit, what the hell did you do now?"

"Nothing, Ibiki-sensei. Can't a person take a stroll around here?"

The bald man brought a hand up to run it over his scarred face in attempt to reign in his short temper. _Why did Kakashi have to infect his brightest student with his lame excuses?_

"Sakura."

"Yes?" The pink-haired woman smiled widely while she waited for her boss, of sorts, to calm down. It was obvious he was stressed, but he always let her off the hook in the end. Truthfully, she had thought he was all bark and no bite, until she'd witnessed him deal with other interrogators. It was then that she realized just how much he must appreciate all the little things she did by habit. After being the apprentice of the Hokage for so long, it was merely second nature to fill out paperwork here, make sure everything for the meeting was in order there, and so on.

"Just tell me what I'm going to get yelled at for."

"Deal. Prisoner number zero-four-eleven-thirty-seven-triple six stunk like nothing I can explain in mere words. We're talking beyond hot, rotten egg here. Anyways, I took the matter into my own hands and am waiting for the results."

Ibiki had known accepting the woman into his unit would be a horrid idea, but she did have her moments. Now, however, didn't seem to be one of them.

* * *

"My god, she wasn't lying."

Sasuke eyed the first person to enter his room since Sakura had left with boredom. The voluptuous woman was walking around the table and glaring daggers at him.

"Nothing to say for yourself?" The blonde's voice sounded disgustingly nasal with her nose firmly pinched between her fingers.

_Was she seriously here to question him? _

"Nothing at all?" The hand not childishly pinching her nose moved to her wrapped hip.

He remained silent, but continued to regard the new scenery that the blue-eyed woman presented.

"Ah, well. Figured I'd give it a go before we got down to business." Preparing herself for the stink that was dirty missing-nin, Ino released her nose. "Ugh. This is seriously for everyone's benefit, so don't try anything fishy. I don't want to have to explain to Forehead why I had to kill you."

By now, Ino was removing the chains and leather straps restricting the dark-haired man to the chair. Sasuke kept his face blank, but he was most definitely paying close attention to what the kunoichi was doing. The blonde woman was mumbling something about how Sakura was the worst person to owe favors to. His focus ultimately went to how she was unlocking him. She almost had him completely unattached to the indestructible chair... four more leather straps and one more chain. No more chains and two more straps... now!

* * *

Consciousness slowly bled into Sasuke's world. He felt unbearably cold and the back of his head ached as if... the Uchiha stiffened at the sudden recollection of memory. Snapping his eyes open resulted in a wave of nausea before the comprehension of where he was sunk in. Shower heads littered the walls, while he was laying exposed on a freezing floor with several heavy-duty bolts securing a system of chains and shackles. As expected, when he moved his legs he heard the metallic jingle of chains.

_Damn her!_

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakens." Ino was sworn to secrecy ("If you even _breathe _word of this to _any_one, I will forcibly remove your spinal column and make you floss with it. Understood, Pig?"), yet that didn't stop her from continuing to enjoy the situation to its fullest. "I warned you, didn't I?"

If looks could kill, Ino would be melting bits of goo on the tiled floor about now.

"It's not like _I _enjoyed carrying your filthy ass here. Although, witnessing you in this woeful state is admittedly cathartic."

Scratch that - flaming bits of melted goo on the floor.

"Hmph." The blonde, never one to openly let anyone intimidate her, approached the seething missing-nin. "Perhaps you'll think back to this experience the next time you plan on knocking someone else out."

There was a meaning to her words underneath the underneath, but the Uchiha didn't care to analyze such things. He had a goal to work towards. A goal that didn't include loss of pride due to lack of clothing and frigid temperatures of rooms.

"Anyways, I'm finished making you less... overbearing to the senses. You were in the process of drying, but now that you're awake I think it's time to take you back. I hope you'll behave this time around."

Oh, what Sasuke would give for enough chakra for Amaterasu.

* * *

"You... what?"

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Sakura focused her attention back onto her superior. "I was thinking that a healthy dose of humility could help loosen his lips."

Disbelief was expressed with a single raised brow.

"And he really, really stunk."

Some movement caught the large man's eye, but the pink-haired kunoichi in front of him shifted into his view.

"So, why were you looking for me, Sir?"

"You know how vital your mission is. You were absolved from all other duties for a reason, don't waste time. Break that boy." There was a definite unspoken _or I will_ attached.

"I'll get the information, sensei."

Ibiki regarded his student, the apprentice of the Hokage and one of the members of the only team the Copy Ninja had passed. He believed that she would do as she claimed, but just as he thought to tell her how he felt on the subject something once again caught his eye.

Shifting her weight quickly, Sakura smiled disarmingly at the captain of the interrogation unit. "If you don't have faith in my skills, then at least have faith in the fact that life enjoys irony such as this."

He couldn't deny the truth in her words, but he already had faith in her skills. After all, he had trained her himself. Briefly allowing himself to reminisce, the scarred man missed Sakura checking the hall clock quickly.

"I just remembered something I need from my office, care to walk with me?"

She sure was an odd one, but who was he to judge?

* * *

Slumping against her closed office door, Sakura breathed deep.

"Did he see me?"

"No, he just thinks I'm more insane than he figured previously." The two women made eye contact. "Does he reek anymore?"

"Of course not." A sly grin. "I used shower gel from my personal collection"

"Hm, which one would that be? Innocent and flowery or your slut juice?" Sakura asked before bursting into giggles. Ino tried to respond with mock upset, but followed her friend into a fit of giggles herself.

"Damn, but he's pissed." Ino managed to say before giggling again.

"Everything went fine though?" Sakura couldn't stop grinning.

"Stop worrying. I'm a capable kunoichi just like you, Forehead."

"I know, but he is dangerous."

"Really?" The blonde smirked. "Because he looks pretty pathetic cold and wet."

The giggling began anew.

"Did you even give your technique a go?" Sakura asked as their laughter slowly died down.

"No, my father has warned me too many times about the mind of an Uchiha. I may be stubborn, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I hear you there."

"I need to go meet Chouji soon." The two friends embraced. "Be careful, okay?"

"Go, Pig. Don't worry about me."

They exchanged a meaningful look before Ino left her office with a soft 'pop.'

* * *

He wanted to kill something. Maybe even many things. What the hell was the deal? Did every kunoichi that chased after him as a girl jump off the deep end and join some crazy torture unit?

A shudder ran through the man at the thought.

He supposed he was being unfair. Sakura was different from the others. Sure, she had fawned over him as a child. Of course he'd been greatly annoyed when she treated Naruto like shit for the same things she found mysteriously attractive in him. In reality, she had been lost like everyone else at that time. Even as a child, Sasuke knew that once she decided her future, she'd make it happen. Her growth only proved Sasuke's slowly formed opinion about the pink-haired woman as well. She was damn tough, despite her emotional behavior. She was... entering his room and loudly... sniffing.

"Fuck you." He bit out.

"I've come to terms with the fact that you'll never be particularly good at thanking others, but the anger is just over kill."

"Hn."

"Wow. Is that... passion fruit?"


	7. A Little Bit of Logic

**Disclaimer: **Y'all know it, I know it. We all know it. If somehow you don't know it - google it. :D

A Little Bit of Logic

The sun had set many hours prior, yet Sai had barely made it through the village's new gates when he felt both his friend's chakra pulses approaching. The medic always checked in on any of "her boys" when they returned from a mission, but she usually waited until they had made it to their respective apartments. An uncomfortable knot - no, anxiety he recalled quickly - settled in the pit of the ex-Root member's gut. He could only think of a couple of reasons for his friends to seek him out so quickly.

He didn't have to wait long before they reached him.

"Are you injured?" Sakura asked with Naruto practically dancing with the need to explain to the ink-user what happened during his two-week absence. Sai's anxiety increased, so he focused on his more sensible friend. Her facial features were relaxed, abnormally so. The conclusion he was quickly drawing shouldn't have been a shock. _This was what I - we, risked everything for, right?_

"No." He stole a sideways glance at Naruto; he was still fidgeting. "I'm quite hungry, and I need to rest soon."

"That's fine. You can use my shower. I have some extra pajamas that'll fit you."

Naruto chuckled. "Who's dickless now?"

"Considering how masculine Ugly is, I'm not surprised she has sleepwear for men." It was comforting to slip back into habits, and this time was no exception. Even the 'thunk' to his skull as Sakura expressed her enjoyment of her nickname offered Sai a bit of peace as the three close friends took to the rooftops.

When they entered Sakura's humble apartment, she explained how Hinata was already using her bed for the night. Sai had no issue with sharing the couch, he simply wanted to be brought up to date.

"I'll get your pajamas." With an almost genuine smile, the pink-haired woman had turned and left.

Naruto and Sai watched her walk away. "So, it's him?"

"Yeah."

The two ninjas had a rough start, but eventually they began to understand one another. Moreover, they began to build a solid friendship. They both knew without words that the mix of concern and protectiveness towards their female team mate was mutual.

Somewhere between their disastrous first mission together and the scramble of making project sunshine feasible, Sakura had let the dark-haired young man get to know her true self. It wasn't surprising that she was utterly complex as a person, but he was surprised to find that her level of empathy neared masochistic. He had also learned just how precious Sasuke was to her.

Yes, the need to protect the soft-hearted kunoichi was definitely a mutual feeling.

Sakura returned and handed over some soft, folded dark clothing to the ink-user. He instantly recognized the cloth as the summer training outfit that had mysteriously disappeared the last time his friends had stayed the night.

Sai glanced up from the clothes to meet viridian eyes that somehow managed to be simultaneously amused and sheepish.

"Go ahead and take a shower." She waved a hand toward where he knew to be her bathroom. "I have plenty of left overs in the fridge. Feel free to rummage around when you get out."

Offering a quick thanks, Sai ventured into the familiar bathroom and began the process of reclaiming his personal hygiene. He never needed long to wash. Whether it was the shinobi lifestyle he lived, or that he was merely an efficient person, he didn't know. Either way, he was squeaky clean in under ten minutes.

She hadn't been teasing when she'd mentioned leftovers. All three settled into seats around the small kitchen table. Sakura and Naruto nursed their large mugs of tea as they waited until the dark-haired man was done stuffing his face before beginning their debate. A rare courtesy that was always welcomed.

Setting down his eating utensils and leaning comfortably against the back of the chair, Sai broke the silence. "Alright, say it."

Sakura choked on her tea. Both men turned towards her. "Nothing, sorry."

"Then why are you blushing, Sakura-chan?"

"Anyways," she drawled, "project sunshine is officially a go."

"Details?"

"The other night, Sasuke returned to the village with two others; most likely from the group he was in as a missing-nin." Naruto took a gulp of his tea before continuing. "The two following wouldn't surrender," which was a nice way to say 'were killed,' "and Sasuke is under Sakura's care." He flashed a quick grin. It felt stronger than any other I-told-you-so the pink-haired medic had experienced before. She grinned back.

"Naruto and I believe he learned the truth behind the Uchiha massacre somehow."

"So, he was visiting home to slaughter those responsible _after _murdering his brother?" Sai's brow furrowed as he held his tongue.

"That's what we figure."

"Shouldn't Shikamaru be here as well?" The ex-Root member asked. They all realized how fatigued he must be to just think of the intelligence-nin after beginning their discussion.

"He's in Suna. If we're lucky, he'll be back in a few days."

Sai nodded. "What have your learned so far?"

"He's definitely not just Sasuke's body and long-term memory with someone else behind the wheel. Even the fucking cursed seal is gone."

"I told you the bastard would never let that snake take him over." Naruto said, while elbowing the ink-user in the side.

"Take him over, maybe not. _Take him, _quite possibly." Sai replied easily.

"Like hell- ! Ow!"

"Don't be so loud, Naruto. You'll wake up Hinata-chan."

Somehow Naruto managed to pout alarmingly well while also glaring daggers at Sai.

"I was merely making an educated assumption due to the Uchiha's chosen apparel."

"Oi! Just 'cause he dressed like a fairy doesn't mean anything."

"Boys, grow up. We have an important situation to discuss."

"Right."

"Sorry, Sakura-chan."

"It's fine, but focus. I knew his reactions from years ago when I... right, but I've spent some time with him and have a better read on him. He's being frustrating as hell, to be honest."

Naruto laughed. "So, he hasn't changed much then." He stopped laughing when he noticed Sakura's pensive look.

"I know you can't disclose everything, but you're being too vague." Sai, now resting his elbows on the table as he gave his undivided attention to his pink-haired team mate, said quietly.

"He won't answer any questions about the Akatsuki, or anything else of import." Upset, she stood and began to pace the length of her small kitchen. "I just don't fucking get it."

"Sakura-chan..."

"I'll get the answers if it kills me _and _him." She finally looked up at her two remaining team mates - not liking the way they eyed her with concern. "I just don't get the point in not answering me. Does he truly want Konoha to fall?"

"If there is anything that I have come to know about the trai- Sasuke, it's that he has a very simple mind."

"What? The bastard has done stupid shit, but he's a genius, for sure."

Sai shook his head. "His being a genius doesn't change the fact that his mind is simple."

"A one track mind, of course!"

"Huh?" Naruto slid his eyes from Sakura to Sai, not getting what was so important.

"But how will I appeal to his mindset?"

The three stayed up debating the issue at hand for another hour before deciding it was time for sleep. It didn't take long for the three to set up the pull-out bed in her couch. Cuddled between two forms of warm and solid comfort, Sakura was lulled to sleep quickly.

* * *

She was crying.

"Why are you crying?"

She couldn't really remember the reason. "...I don't know."

"Then stop."

It was silly to cry without a reason worth remembering. "Okay."

So she did.

* * *

The next day Sakura awoke feeling refreshed. It seemed that everyone had taken their leave, but no one wanted to wake her any earlier than need be. She smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness and her smile grew when she found the note on her fridge door with all her friend's handwriting on different parts of the paper.

Masculine, yet flowing handwriting wrote, _Thanks for the food and clothes. Contact me when Shikamaru is back._

Barely legible handwriting wrote, _I know you're busy, Sakura-chan, but you should eat with Hinata and me sometime soon._

Delicate handwriting wrote, _Thank you so much for letting me use your bed. It's nice to not deal with Naruto-kun's snoring sometimes. _

Destroying the evidence of Hinata's admittance, Sakura happily began to get ready for another day. Catching a quick glace at the clock in her bedroom, her smile disappeared quite quickly.

"Son of a bitch!"

Ibiki was going to kill her.


	8. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I forgot to put this here. So, yeah... no financial profit made.

The Beginning

The pink-haired kunoichi was out the door and hastily resetting her apartment's safety wards before she'd even finished zipping up her shirt. She took to the roofs quickly and, not without effort, was able to get the zipper to work while running. Without slowing down, Sakura jumped down from the last roof on her preferred path and made a mad dash into the ANBU headquarters.

_Change now, or later?_

There was no telling where Ibiki would be. The staff's luncheon area was somewhat close to the locker room and since it was about the time he took his first break... Sakura always found the ANBU gear to be restraining anyways.

Utilizing her underused sneaking abilities, she made her way through the headquarters and to her own office without incident. Slipping into her office and seeing Ibiki sitting in her expensive desk chair was a swift and definite defeat. The chagrined woman did her best to keep a cool exterior.

_Of course, he's using my beautiful desk as a table. Fuck my life._

"Oh, Sakura, what a surprise! I didn't see you there. You see, I was much too busy with my work." Yup. He sure had been taking his time to wreak havoc upon her poor, innocent desk.

_Is that a grease stain on my reports? __That mother fu- no, must focus!__  
_

"Sensei, sensei," Sakura tutted, "you shouldn't work so hard. Next thing you know people will seem like they're late when they were really here all along."

"Indeed."

Yikes! Judging by his icy response, she just might be on his shit list. Very, very deep (that's right - not high or low, but deep) on said shit list.

"Unfortunately for my supposed not-really-late student, she was summoned by the Hokage." When Sakura flinched at her understanding, Ibiki grinned sharply. "I'm glad you understand my predicament. Now get your ass where it should be!"

She was off without so much as a "yes, sir." Feeling justified in his frustration, Ibiki indulged himself with smearing the grease his lunch left on her papers a bit before returning to his own business with a smile.

He had forgotten how good it felt to be petty.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" The Hokage inquired sternly before looking up from her paperwork to pierce her apprentice with intent hazel eyes.

"Well, you see, my desk was being abused - "

"Save it. Of all the things to learn from Kakashi... " With a wave of her hand, Tsunade dismissed her incredulity. "How are things going with the Uchiha?"

Sakura walked over to the large window in her shishou's office and leaned against the wall. "Have you had the chance to read my reports?"

"Yes, but I want what's in your head, Sakura." She wanted to know her choice in letting Sakura be the interrogator was correct.

Sensing this, Sakura gave her Hokage a full report on Sasuke. She mentioned how she tested his memory, and the lack of a cursed seal on his person.

"So, he isn't Orochimaru's puppet anymore. That's good, but we need information from him. If physical torture hasn't been working, what are your plans?"

Abandoning the window, Sakura approached the front of her shishou's desk. Tsunade's amber eyes were watching her curiously. The weight of her hazel gaze reminded the pink-haired kunoichi just how important getting the information from Sasuke was. Even though Sakura knew her Hokage trusted her, she had to watch what she said. Despite how well Project Sunshine was going, it was still treasonous to be helping a missing-nin in such a premeditated way.

"Permission to speak freely, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade nodded, surprised at Sakura's formal request. It wasn't like she allowed the girl free reign, but as long as she wasn't mouthing off with disrespect (like a certain blonde, whiskered someone) then there was no need for strict verbiage. Hell, she got enough of that with those old fogies.

"I want to trade information with Sasuke."

Tsunade blinked. Slowly.

"Excuse me?"

"Remember that time when you lectured me about getting into the classified files?"

Tsunade nodded in response. Sakura had nosed around in the top secret files of the ANBU headquarters, but she figured if she could out-sneak the ANBU she deserved the information. She had unbreakable trust in the young woman.

"It was after Kakashi developed his theory about the masked Akatsuki member being Uchiha Madara."

That had Tsunade's attention. "What do you know about him?"

"I know what the books tell me. He was unbelievably ambitious, but also incredibly strong. When it came to founding Konoha, he was upset with the idea of an alliance with the Senju clan, let alone that Senju Hashirama was chosen to be the First Hokage. His clan wanted peace, but he obviously did not. He came back, utilized the nine-tailed fox, and fought the First only to lose. The Valley of the End is known for that battle. After that, I can't find anything about him in our libraries except that he might have been behind the second attack of the nine-tails. However, I trust Kakashi's eyes and his instincts. To survive that long, and after such a defeat, he could only be plotting. Being the ambitious man that he was - is, I can't see him taking losing well."

Tsunade snorted at the thought. "Even if that man is Madara, how does this have anything to do with Sasuke?"

Sakura held up a hand for patience. "That would mean two supposed crazily ambitious Uchihas were working within one organization, which doesn't make sense to me. This leads me to look closer at the other Uchiha in Akatsuki, Itachi, who was the Uchiha's pride and joy. Well, before he killed them all. But he didn't kill them all, did he? He left his little brother alive, and this Uchiha Madara who he later joined up with. I, someone who rarely believes in coincidences, find these actions extremely odd for a genius of his caliper. If he truly were a nin who lost it, then why stop when it comes to his little brother? That screams emotional attachment. And even with the skills that he had, how could he kill so many people so quickly? They had sharingans too, so there would still be some challenge after the initial surprise. The fact that Itachi joined with Madara after the massacre makes me think that they could have easily joined forces to slaughter their clan. Hell, I bet Madara would enjoy it after they abandoned him in his eyes."

"This is a lot of speculation, and I still don't understand how Sasuke is involved." Tsunade might have sounded a bit annoyed, but she wasn't. Her wise eyes were alight with pride at her apprentices' intelligence and cunning. She knew that Sakura and Naruto would never give up on that Uchiha brat, not even after she refused to let them leave to search for him. This was Konoha's future. It was relieving to know they would be just as stubbornly loyal as ever.

Sitting back in her chair, Tsunade continued to listen to the young woman before her as she explained how if Kakashi was correct about Uchiha Madara, how that would place Sasuke in his hands after Itachi's defeat. Sakura then brought up how easily manipulated the young Uchiha had been by different people, using both Itachi and Orochimaru as examples.

"So, with that in mind, how much would it really take for Uchiha Madara to sick Sasuke on Konoha?"

"And he would come with just two other shinobi? As you said, the Uchiha doesn't do things half-assed."

"Which leads me to my first debriefing with you. The option of a stealthy approach for personal reasons continues to be the best theory. Sasuke may see himself as emotionless, but he is quite the opposite. I can't imagine him thinking logically and behaving in such a manner."

"A stealth mission to do what for Madara's sake?" Tsunade asked, brow wrinkled.

"Could be to assassinate you, but I don't think so. And that's just the issue: I don't _think _so. I can brainstorm and speculate all day, but I've learned to trust my gut instincts. My knowledge is still too vague though, and I don't have time to poke Sasuke around anymore. I need access to the classified files, or any information at all, pertaining to what Madara could possibly have said to make Sasuke come to Konoha."

"Is that so." Resting her chin on her interlaced fingers, the hazel-eyed Hokage observed her apprentice. "You do realize that most of what you're looking for won't be on paper."

Getting slightly fed up with diplomacy, the pink-haired kunoichi clenched her jaw. "I do. Do you realize how quickly I can have the information you want if you tell me what you know about the Uchiha massacre?"

"Fine. I suppose you've earned it."

"Thank you, shishou."

"You won't be thanking me once you know the truth. Now, sit down and don't interrupt me."

* * *

Sakura slowly donned her ANBU suit. It took more out of her than she imagined to maintain an ignorant façade when hearing the information Tsunade shared about the Uchiha clan. She highly disliked using the woman, but it was crucial to keep Project Sunshine a secret. Although her Hokage was much more intelligent than most gave her credit for (hence her knowing about her apprentice's trip into the classified section), there were some things she really didn't need to know. If she were to discover the depth of Sakura's deception and what said deception was leading toward... the pink-haired kunoichi shook at the mere thought.

In all honesty, even though she knew before the truth escaped her shishou's painted lips, it still affected her. Would she have been able to do what Itachi had done? She couldn't imagine her small family being so corrupt, yet... even then... would she have had the fortitude at such an early age? Would she have fought for an alternative?

_It doesn't matter. What's done is done. _

Even as the young woman thought it, she knew it was an outright lie. The past set up what the future could become. Everything - _everyone_ - mattered._  
_

She finished dressing and then walked through the halls of the ANBU headquarters on autopilot. Only slipping out of her deep thoughts at the security posts she passed on the way to her destination. Soon enough she was there, standing before prisoner 041137666's door.

With a sigh Sakura cleared her mind and entered the small room. Sasuke didn't even bother looking up, so she settled for lifting herself up onto the edge of the concrete table to wait.

When she became bored she decided to hum a girly tune. Of course, she did so completely off key. Every now and then she'd hum louder, as if she were actually into whatever it was she was humming, for good measure.

After that it wasn't long before she was looking into two very dark and spiteful eyes. She giggled and greeted the young man before her.

"Eat shit and die." Sasuke growled.

"You know you're rather rude, right?" Sakura inquired lightly.

There was a slight grunt in response, but the heavy glare remained.

"Well, fine. Let's get down to business."

Another grunt met her ears.

"Do you want breaks or slices this time?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked seriously.

Sasuke regarded his ex-teammate. She looked honest, but there was no way she was offering him an ounce of control. Surely there was some kind of trick up her sleeve? Perhaps reverse psychology. Ha! Like hell he'd fall for that. "Breaks."

Sakura accepted his answer with an angelic grin, "breaks it is then."

It was damn near impossible to miss the dark haired missing-nin's rising frustration. Sakura noted that his chapped lips thinned along with a more pronounced tightening around his eyes than usual. The lack of water and food were finally taking affect.

"Let's start off with something simple," as she spoke Sasuke lowered his head. She supposed he realized how much his face was giving away. As much as she wanted to allow him some form of escape, she had to get him to cooperate first. Unfortunately, her ex-teammate always took the harder route.

Hopping off of the hard table, Sakura stepped in between her first crushes' legs. They were impressively locked onto the chair, just like the rest of him, so she felt no fear in being close to him. However, when she leaned over he attempted to headbutt her. If she hadn't reacted quickly enough she'd surely be sporting a broken nose. Gripping his long, black hair tighter, the young woman craned the missing-nin's head back sharply. She watched him flinch without remorse.

"It's uncouth to strike a lady." It could have been a joke, but with her face inches away from his, she was sure he saw her anger. And if not, well, "didn't your mother tell you that before she was run through?"

The reaction was immediate. If not for her unrelenting grip on Sasuke's hair and the intensive restraining measures ANBU used to repress him, Sakura was sure she'd have been killed. She waited for the young man under her to stop struggling so much before she pulled his head back again. Killing intent oozed out of his every pore, but she ignored it. This moment was beyond important; it had to work.

"You weren't even her first son. Did she even love you?"

With her senses on full alert she could feel his sharp, uneven breathing against her face and the tension in his body. The lingering smell of passion fruit was barely detected over the harsh odor of bleach. It was his eyes though, his piercing gaze, that she focused on completely. She'd seen him express many emotions, most of which were never expressed toward her. To see him look at her with such hatred was like looking straight into the eyes of death itself. An inescapable black, burning death. She had no other choice but to push past his stubbornness.

"And what about your dear papa?" She asked softly; her head tilted to the side for better access to his ear.

Sakura felt wetness hit her face before her senses caught up and informed her that she'd just been spit upon. It was disgusting, but an encouraging sign. She lifted her hand from Sasuke's shoulder to wipe the saliva away before trailing slowly down his arm to his left hand. Grabbing a finger at random, she easily snapped the bone with a light application of chakra.

Sasuke closed his eyes and snarled through clenched teeth.

"Open your eyes." She demanded, her face hovering over his again. When he didn't, she shook him roughly by her grip on his hair. "Now."

"Fuck you, you stupid - _dammit!_"

"If you don't want another finger broken then open your eyes, Sasuke."

When Sakura began to apply pressure to another finger, she was once again looking into furious ebony orbs.

"Do you think he approved of you?" She was so close, the question was practically spoken onto his lips.

Sasuke silently continued to glare; body still rigid with unleashed fury.

"Tell me... do you even know who killed them?"

There was the slightest bit of confusion within those dark eyes, but his rage consumed any other possible thought after a moment.

"Was it your brother, or Uchiha Madara?"

The shock of recognition was swift and pure. By the time awe sat reluctantly in Sasuke's stomach, Sakura had already moved her attention to the fingers she broke.

"Why are you healing them?" He inquired blankly.

The pink-haired kunoichi looked up from her kneeling position. "I have what I wanted to know for now." She admitted before realigning and healing his next finger.

"You're cunning."

Sakura glanced up with a furrowed brow, ready to see a condescending smirk. There was none. In fact, Sasuke's earlier killing intent had completely abated. His face was relaxed, his bottomless eyes appraising her softly. He knew she had manipulated him and was _complimenting _her. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the turn of events, Sakura returned her focus to his fingers to hide the blush that she could feel spreading up her neck and cheeks.

The young man watched her try to play off her reaction by pretending to heal his fingers. The fingers she had already healed. He found it oddly enjoyable to see her in such a way. Perhaps Naruto had somehow witnessed this side of Sakura when they were children? What else had he missed during his so-called youth?

"What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked gently after sneaking a look and seeing his distant gaze.

His ink black eyes snapped back into focus and he smirked softly. "Will you break my fingers again if I don't answer?"

She was still touching his hand.

* * *

**A/N**: Alright, so I'm sorry if you have to re-read the story to remember what's going on. I hope it's as good the second time. :P  
I will do my best to have the next piece out within the week. Please leave a review and let me know if you're confused by anything, dislike/enjoy anything, or just want to say 'hi.' I'd love to hear from you! :)

**Edit (8/10): **Added the title and disclaimer. Most importantly, Sakura's conversation with Tsunade has been changed. My hope is that it's easier to follow and not as repetitive for y'all readers. Let me know if this version is better, or not. Thanks a bunch!  
-Dez


	9. Thirsty

**Disclaimer: **No profit besides improving my writing skills.**  
**

Thirsty

"How'd it go?"

"It's nice to see you too, Naruto. Jeez." Sakura sank into a seat at Ichimaru, thankful for the slice of normalcy.

"I ordered your usual since you were a bit late." The blonde scooted a lukewarm bowl of noodles toward his friend.

"Thanks, and sorry. I was - " Interrupted by her team mate tossing a pair of chopsticks at her, Sakura smiled as Naruto called her early on her bullshit excuse for being late. It was an odd way to deal with the loss of their sensei, but it worked and that was what mattered. "Anyways, I'm glad I was able to make it before you two left. If you don't mind, I'm going to stuff my face now."

"Can you at least tell me that it's going well?" Naruto wheedled.

Hinata calmly touched his shoulder.

"Okay, okay... I get it."

Sakura ignored her team mate's antics. She hadn't been able to catch a chance to eat yet, so the noodles tasted divine. Since they had cooled down she didn't have to wait before digging in. The flavor, although nothing special, was somehow perfect.

_Hunger truly is the best spice_, she concluded.

The quiet conversation between Hinata and Naruto lulled to a stop once the pink-haired young woman sat her chop sticks down and thanked Ayame and her father for the meal. With a content sigh and a soft pat to her pleased stomach, Sakura focused on her companions.

"When it comes to the paperwork, Tsunade-shishou wasn't exactly excited, but she's on board with the idea." Sakura had to rely on a vague substitution since they were in public.

The blonde's face lit up, "I'm glad to hear that. Did you need any help with your workload? That old lady can be harsh sometimes."

"No thanks, and," she punched his shoulder hard, "you know she hates it when you call her that."

"Gah!" Naruto massaged his abused joint. "You're just jealous that you're not her favorite anymore."

Hinata could only shake her head and grin as the two continued to bicker. She remembered when Sakura had intimidated her, back before she had the courage to speak her mind. Then she'd been so reckless as to jump in front of Pein's assault, but that sure did grab the attention she had wanted. In the aftermath of her choice, as Sakura healed her, she came to finally understand why others could be so outspoken. It felt _good_.

Even though she remembered feeling her blood dripping off of her, and the achy fogginess that accompanies massive physical trauma, the electric taste of freedom was worth it all. The addictive quality of opening her mouth to such a degree was new and thrilling. Needless to say, the Hyuga clan council had not approved of her sudden behaviour change in the least. Since Naruto had fully noticed her, and liked her, she refused to change for the comfort of her elitist clan elders.

After the main reconstruction of the village was completed, she had her first date with Naruto. It had been an unorganized mess, yet Hinata could honestly admit that she had more fun during that date than she ever had before. Unfortunately, with her new found happiness also came repercussions.

Her father, the head of the Hyuga clan, had denounced her rights as an heiress, placing all the burden upon the young shoulders of Hanabi. Her little sister had shrugged it off, but Hinata quietly seethed at the thought of the council smothering her young sister with their political schemes. However, there was little Hinata could do. Her heart condition was made even worse by Pein nearly killing her, so she couldn't strive for any prestigious shinobi title to regain the council's approval.

Lost, the black-haired beauty had gone to Naruto for help. He promised her that he'd fix it if she gave him a week. She waited on edge for three days before she learned that her father, along with the clan elders, had been summoned by the Hokage. Evidently, there was a new apprentice opening under Tsunade, and she wanted the Hyuga heiress.

Of course, the clan head assumed the Fifth was referring to Hanabi and wasn't pleased to be corrected in front of the clan council. Using Hiashi's traditional nature against him, Tsunade demanded that it was either his eldest child or the apprenticeship would go to another clan. Not deeming it worthy to question the Hokage's motives, the clan council placed much pressure upon Hiashi to give his assent. The prestige of the clan was more important than the pride of the head of the clan.

Hinata could still vividly recall the depth of hatred in her father's pale eyes as he rescinded his choice to remove her role as heiress.

Blinking away the memories, Hinata smiled and greeted the young man who just arrived.

Sai nodded his head in return.

There was a bustle of activity (and insult throwing) before Sai and Naruto bid their farewells and then headed off to spar. Once the newly informed team mates were almost out of sight, Hinata noticed Sakura's expression change. Something was bothering her that she clearly didn't want the boys to know, which in turn troubled the Hyuga heiress.

"I must get back to the compound, would you be so kind as to accompany me?"

"Huh? Oh! Of course," Sakura laughed sheepishly. "Up we go. Is everything all right, Hinata?"

"Yes, thank you. I don't know why my legs are continuously surprised by the extra weight."

Sakura chuckled and a comfortable silence fell upon the two as they made their way toward Hinata's home.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Sakura asked, at a loss.

"It can't be easy for you."

"It's a job." A sigh. "Sorry, it's just - yeah. It is hard sometimes. Especially with... you know."

"Do you plan on forgiving him?"

Sakura flinched. It was an honest enough question, but it made her feel horribly guilty. Sasuke's reckless actions had put many in danger, and yet she had blushed like a damn idiot because he complimented her. He had done evil things. She knew this on a factual basis, so why did she desire his compliments still?

"That was personal, forget I asked." Hinata said quickly, mistaking the grim silence as her answer.

"It's not that," The pink-haired woman offered quietly.

After a moment of contemplation, "there's nothing wrong with forgiving him, Sakura."

"Not everyone would feel the same."

"Not everyone matters," the raven-haired kunoichi remarked firmly.

Sakura smiled. "You're right. Thanks."

Coming to a stop outside her clan's residence, Hinata faced her friend and smiled in return. Whatever it was that had troubled Sakura was gone, for now at least.

They said their goodbyes and then Sakura began her walk home.

She was asleep in bed within the hour.

* * *

He ached in spots he'd never even felt before. His stomach quivered at the thought of food. His chapped lips and dry throat begged for anything to quench his unanswered thirst. It was frustrating as hell to have to yell about biological needs for an hour before a masked ANBU entered his room and, in short, humiliated him. It was enough to make him want a drain in the floor so he could just piss himself.

He hated this place. He hated the vulnerability. He hated the loss of time. Most of all, he hated being overwhelmed with constant internal judgment.

For as long as he could remember, he'd always been working toward something. There was never time to sit down, relax, _think. _Now time was taking him on a joy ride and his brain wouldn't shut the hell up.

He puzzled over the "friends" he had left behind due to their supposed weaknesses that held him back, and how they didn't seem so weak at all. He had been wrong about Itachi - his family - so many things. Perhaps his definition of weakness was also something he had been misled about.

Movement caught his eye and he fought down a sigh of relief when he saw Sakura. It seemed for the time being, he was safe from further contemplation. Well, personal contemplation. The paper bag Sakura was holding felt worthy of the missing-nin's thoughts.

"You look a bit parched, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"Woah, even your monosyllabic response sounds a bit dry." Sitting on the edge of the table, like she did every time she entered his room, the pink-haired woman took a bottle of water out of the bag and placed it next to her on the table. "I can help you with that."

Sasuke's mouth ironically went dry at the sight of the water bottle.

"What do you want?" He rasped.

"Only a little bit of cooperation." The dark-haired man watched the kunoichi before him closely for any indication of falsehood. "For every bit of unknown information you give me, I'll give you a mouth full of water. And just to get it out of the way..." Opening the large bottle, Sakura tilted her head back and drank from the water bottle. "Nothing in the way of poison, or any other drug, to be worried about."

Damn she was cunning. Even if he offered information on something that was already known, he'd receive nothing in return. Sakura had to know everything in regards to him before interrogating him, or else they'd be risking loosing information due to ignorance. However, hidden villages were known for risking more for less. Either way, she had invoked his curiosity.

"How do I know you won't lie about what information you possess?"

"Because we were both taught how to look underneath the underneath. Have your skills become rusty, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura teased.

"I don't consider anything that perpetually late pervert taught to be considered a 'skill'." Sasuke replied flatly.

"He focused on you." Her voice sounded strained, but the missing-nin misjudged it as jealousy.

"Which goes to show, as a sensei, that man is worthless."

Pain engulfed the dark-haired man's face as his head swung back violently. Blood ran from his nose and dripped off his chin while his eyes watered in response to the sudden assault. Sakura, fists clenched and eyes livid, stood directly before him.

"Do not _ever _speak of Kakashi again." Her quiet words instilled enough fear to overcome the immature urge to push her further over the edge. Sasuke had never witnessed the pink-haired kunoichi express anger so plainly, nor so quickly. "He was a great sensei."

She left before Sasuke had a chance to regain his voice.

He didn't know what to think. The knowledge of his first sensei's death was new. Of course he'd known that if the damages were as massive as the rumors had said, then many had lost their lives... but Kakashi had always managed to live through tough situations. He had learned about the way the Copy-nin received his sharingan, about how his father had died - it all suddenly seemed surreal to the chained man.

He had come back to Konoha to kill the ones responsible for ruining his life and ended up beaten by the dead last of his class. Then, once chained and left in a room for hours, the annoying girl who had no issue offering him everything as a child turned out to be his interrogator. He'd even grown some sense of morbid respect for her skill. To top it all off, the man who did his utmost in attempting to give Sasuke some semblance of understanding, years prior, was killed without his knowledge.

The acute pain of a broken nose was a satisfying distraction from the hollow ache in his chest.

* * *

She would eventually have to return to_ that _room. With _that _piece of shit chained inside.

"Damn him!" Sakura yelled to no one in particular.

Anger burned brightly within the pink-haired woman, so she escaped to the one place that offered a tangible way to cope. Her feet reached the training grounds speedier than she'd ever thought she could.

"That remorseless ass!" She vindictively hoped he noticed that she'd left the bottle of water on the table.

Trunk after solid trunk exploded gratifyingly. Sweat beaded her brow, so she stopped a moment to catch her breath.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the area we're supposed to train at, sensei?"

"Of course, why would you ask something... like... that?"

Suki, a first-time sensei, looked around at the maimed landscape.

"Does Suki-sensei have an enemy?" Asked one of her snot-nosed genin.

"Of course not." At least, she certainly hoped she didn't.

* * *

Shoulders bent with the invisible force of her frustration and sadness, Sakura watched her feet swing back and forth.

She loved how the water flowed steadily below her. Nothing could block it.

Back and forth.

She loved the brightness of the red bridge she sat on. It was fierce and refused to be forgotten.

Back and forth.

Kakashi would place a hand on one of her stooped shoulders and remind her that she's smart enough to overcome anything she initially botched. Then he'd lean down to make better eye contact and say, in his quiet but stern voice, that she had responsibilities to fulfill.

Back and forth.

_Use that brain and get your ass in gear_, is what Tsunade-shishou would tell her.

Back and forth.

It really didn't matter that Sasuke cared for no one, but it hurt all the same.

Back and forth.

White hot epiphany spread through the kunoichi, straightening previously bowed shoulders. Of course! He had no idea. His wide eyes and slacked jaw could have been due to the surprise attack on his person, but she doubted it now. He had said that Kakashi _is_ worthless. She could fix this. It might might cost her some progress, but she could remedy this. Already on her feet, Sakura began putting together new tactics as her arms and legs pumped back and forth.

* * *

The chained man lowered his head to avoid the bottle of water in front of him. Sakura hadn't been kidding when she had explained why she was there. Even when accidentally provoked, she twisted the situation in a way to physiologically agonize the missing-nin. Once again he had misunderstood his ex-team mate; jealousy had never been the driving force behind her change in mood. Even if he'd deserved the blow to the face, he remained surprised that Sakura could deliver such precise force so effortlessly. He didn't even know she'd moved until after she'd struck. Despite all the torture he'd endured at the end of the pink-haired woman's hands, it seemed she'd been holding back. Questioning the reason behind her hesitation brought forth that pretentious emotion from before.

Could she... after all this time?

No.

No one could be that foolish. Sasuke found one of his brother's favorite words to be applicable to the situation running in his head. He just wasn't one hundred percent sure who he was considering as the fool. Sakura, for holding a torch for him after all he had done, or himself for that deeply embedded hope that she did.

Lifting his head, the dark-haired man refocused on the large bottle full of, possibly cool and soothing, liquid on the table. Biological needs were safe to want, so when a known presence reentered the room, Sasuke steadfastly ignored it.

When the presence stubbornly remained, the Uchiha just as stubbornly continued to stare at the bottle in front of him. Even as she - it, as _it_ - disrespected his personal bubble, ink black eyes stayed firmly upon the uncapped bottle of wondrous, life-giving water barely out of reach.

His eyes narrowed dangerously at the poor, innocent water bottle after the presence made no move to leave his space.

Then something soft and wet gently rubbed his cheek. The man's natural response was hindered by the chains binding his arms to the chair, but he stopped struggling once he turned to face the presence assaulting him.

Impossibly deep green eyes regarded him while the woman behind those eyes waited for something. It was disquieting to have her full attention at such a close proximity. Looking away from her eyes to the gloved hand nearest to his face, he noted the washcloth she held. His brow furrowed in confusion. Was she trying to apologize?

Meeting her gaze again, he raised an eyebrow in question.

Her silent response was another gentle stroke down his cheek.

When he didn't struggle, Sakura continued to clean the blood off of his face.

* * *

**A/N: **Forgive me, but I'm a full-time college student now and my attention has shifted back into the academic area of my life. I'd say the best option as a reader is to put this on Story Alert if you really enjoy it, therefore it can be a happy surprise when I next update. Like now. Surprise! Much love to everyone, especially those that give me some feedback. :)


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